FX’s New ‘Legion’ Trailer Begins to Crack the Mind-Bending ‘X-Men’ Series

We’ve seen the teasers, we’ve seen the cast, and we’ve seen what showrunner Noah Hawley can do with FX’s Fargo, but now his next TV series, Legion, has a premiere date and a new trailer, offering more answers to this mind-bender of a show.

Legion, based on the telepathic and telekinetic mutant from Marvel comics lore, will debut on the network on Wednesday, February 8th at 10 p.m. EST.

Dan Stevens (Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast) portrays David Haller, who is the son of Professor Xavier in the comics — something, also, the producers confirm cannot be ignored in the small-screen adaptation. But here, he’s also a very troubled man whose put in a mental institution for schizophrenia, when really the voices and visions he hears and sees are part of his chaotic but powerful abilities.

In the new trailer, we learn more about what’s going on and that this story won’t be confined to the trippy hospital setting. There are government agencies called Divisions that are tasked with studying and tracking down mutants, and if they find the subjects can’t be controlled, they’re killed. In David’s case, that means convincing him into buying the whole ruse of mental instability. But he’s able to escape and find those who are able to help him realize his potential.

Watch the trailer below.

In addition to Stevens, the cast is rounded out by Aubrey Plaza as Lenny, Rachel Keller as Syd, Katie Aselton as David’s sister Amy, Jean Smart as Melanie Bird, Jeremy Harris as Ptonomy, Amber Midthunder as Kerry, and Bill Irwin as Cary. When FX brought the first half of the pilot episode to New York Comic Con, some of the characters were conveniently absent from the footage, but we’re seeing more glimpses of them as the marketing campaign revs up.

One thing seems clear: for as chaotic as David’s mind is, the show looks to blur reality by embracing that psychedelia.

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